LMX Sirex

Years ago, when researching the genesis of a bunch of ’60s concept cars, I came across a name, LMX, that I hadn't heard before, who exhibited at the 1968 Turin Motor Show in Italy. 

Sort of.

See, the Linea Moderna Executive Automobile S.R.L. company couldn't afford an official Turin Motor Show stand that year. (Did it spend all of its cash on letters for desk plaques? Or a retainer for its designer, the almost-ready-to-retire Franco Scaglione?) 

During Scaglione’s earlier career, he worked on many notable vehicles, and one of my favourites of his must be the NSU Prinz Sport Spider Wankel — the first-ever rotary-powered production car.

Later, though?

This Sirex, to my eyes a ‘Tutto 99 cent’ Corvette, and less-than-memorable designs for Intermeccanica, including the Apollo GT…

By 1968, Scaglione had taken up work by clothing this startup Italian automaker's 2-seat mostly fiberglass sports car. It's similar, actually, to a TVR or Marcos of that vintage. With a backbone chassis and much smaller overall dimensions than larger V8-powered rivals, the Sirex was developed as a contemporary, nimble design.

The 2.3-litre V6 engine from a Ford Taunus. Be still, my beating heart.

Horsepower should have been at about 125, and good for a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph) in the Taunus — surely faster here. Quick, but not earth-shattering.

Some LMX Sirex models are said to have been tuned to 180 horsepower, and the firm even experimented with turbocharging, extracting a healthier 210 hp from examples so equipped. 

I said “examples,” yes. Sources say 42 were made, but I find even that difficult to believe — where did they all go? And in today's collector car world, and one where we have Bring A Trailer for unearthing a number of gold nuggets every morning (no I’m not a subscriber), where did these cars disappear to? 

Story continues after sources…